Sunday, July 5th
Resources for life groups, families, or personal spiritual development.
Sunday Morning Worship Service:
In order to have a “Faith that Works” we need to “Walk the Talk” as James 3 discusses. We need to have a tongue which reflects our love for God. When we use our tongue in inappropriate ways, we harm the cause of Christ and can damage relationships. James 3:2 says, “For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man able also to bridle his whole body.”
REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
- What does it look like for a person to be “perfect” (meaning mature) concerning one’s speech? (What characteristics should a Christian have in regard to his/her speech?)
- Which picture could you relate to the most in James 3 concerning how powerful the tongue is: The tongue is like a (1) bit in the horse’s mouth, (2) a ship’s rudder, (3) a forest fire, (4) the taming of creatures and beasts, (5) a water spring of fresh or salt water or (6) a tree which bears strange fruit? Explain why this is a challenge to you.
- What does Luke 6:45 mean: “Out of the abundance of the heart a man speaks”?
- Which type of negative speech can you most relate to as a struggle? (I understand this may be a difficult question to discuss with others but it’s important that we evaluate our speech so we can make improvements to be more Christ-like.) Examples include: complaining, argumentative, blaming, sarcasm, critical, boastful, flattery, manipulative, or gossip? What are some steps you can take to move toward victory over negative speech?
- How can we have speech that’s filled with wisdom and encouragement such as seen in James 3:17. (Speech that is pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and grace, impartial and sincere?)
- What do you think of the quote: “If your heart gives you pause then maybe your mouth should listen. There’s never any harm in not saying it.”